Death's Advocate
by C.S. Skywalker
Summary: When the Surgeon of Death has a headstrong brother just as devoted to taking down Donquixote Doflamingo, there is more than only fate that brings him, and the man who will be King of the Pirates together. [Current Arc: Water Seven]
1. Enter Scientist, Lynch Cassanova!

_**A/N:**_ _Hi guys! So as you can tell, I've decided to completely scrap this first idea, and go ahead in the timeline to Water 7! I know that I have been gone a long time, but I hope you guys will like the new changes that I have come up with. If you guys are reading Hearts of the Children, my own OC fic, this character model taken directly off Lynch Cassanova. I tried changing his name in the first version, but I love the name Lynch Cassanova, and wanted to keep it. As always, please review and tell me what you think!_

 _If you haven't already, go check out my more popular, longer story, Fire and Steel, which features Ace!_

 _ **Wealth. Fame. Power.**_

 _ **The man who had achieved everything in life, like none before him, was the Pirate King, Gold Roger. The few words he spoke at his execution drove people the all over the world to take to the seas:**_

 _ **"My treasure? If you want it, you can have it.**_

 _ **Seek it out! I left everything in my life at that place!"**_

 _ **Men, bound for the Grand Line, will chase after their dreams. The world is about to witness a Great Age of Piracy!**_

 **I**

 **I'm Going to Destroy Donquixiote Doflamgino! Enter scientist, Lynch Cassanova!**

The sea billowed around the island city of Water Seven as the mayor, Iceberg, glanced outside his window, looking up from his blueprints, the rain pattering on the pane and the wind howling through the cracks of the old paint.

"Nmaa. So the Aqua Laguna's come," he muttered to himself.

The annual high tide that engulfed the lower parts of the city had been getting worse and worse with each coming year. Iceberg rubbed his brow as he thought of damage they would have to repair this year.

The man was fairly young to be the town's mayor, still having a full head of close cut blue hair, a rather serious look on his face and a tall stature not yet bent down with

age.

A sharp bang on the door interrupted his thoughts.

"Iceberg-san!" a frantic voice cried out from the doorway. "Excuse me barging in but there's something you have to see!"

Iceberg looked quickly to the door to where one of his lower level shipwrights stood in the doorway.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Paulie-san said it was too dangerous for you to come out but you have to see this with your own eyes!" the shipwright gasped. "It's a shipwrecked person on the lower shores!"

"Person?" There shouldn't have been anyone on the lower half of Water Seven, not unless they were an outsider.

Iceberg stood up quickly and grabbed his coat, sweeping it over his shoulders. "Take me there."

 **xxx**

"Iceberg-san!" a man with long hair and a blue jacket yelled as he smoked a fat cigar. "You shouldn't have come! The Aqua Laguna is too dangerous!"

Iceberg had arrived at the lower levels of the city, meeting three of his Dock One foremen at the edge of the bay. The one who had yelled for Iceberg was holding a rope in his hands, pulling the broken bits of timber away from a fallen body. The second, a tall man with long hair and a goatee stood next to him, while the third, a large, barrel chested man with a short beard cut sharply looked to be impatiently waiting for the roper to finish his job.

"I'll choose whether or not it's dangerous for me, Paulie," Iceberg said as he walked closer to the shipwright, assessing the damage. "What have we here?"

"WUOOHH! PAULIE! YOU'RE TAKING TOO LONG!" the large man yelled and charged at the mess, flinging the mess everywhere.

"Tilestone!" Paulie snapped. "Stop yelling!"

The tall man silently stepped forward. He wore a black top hat, wearing only a white tank top despite the heavy rain. A pet pigeon sat dutifully on his shoulder as dragged a body from the debris. Dropped the person at Iceberg's feet, the quiet man stepped back to let the mayor inspect for himself.

The body was a young man looking to be about in his early twenties dressed in ratty, dark clothing that was most likely torn up by the storm. A shock of silver hair was matted with blood and seawater -a hair color that was rare. Like he had thought, the man wasn't from around their parts. Something about the man struck Iceberg's curiosity. Tattoos covered the man's body in intricate twisting black designs. The mayor bent down to examine one of them and retracted his hand like it had been burned. It was common for outsiders to come to Water Seven in hopes of purchasing a ship for themselves, but this man was no regular customer.

The tattooed smile of a familiar Jolly Roger leered up at him, reminding him of a particular lord of the underworld.

"Iceberg-san?" Paulie asked in concern as he leaned over his leader.

Iceberg reached forward and quickly covered the man's tattoo. "It's nothing. I want him cleaned up and taken to my room immediately. I'd like to be the first to meet with him once he wakes up.

"OF COURSE ICEBERG-SAN!" Tilestone roared and picked up the unconscious man like a rag doll from the ground.

Iceberg watched his foremen leave, a worried look knitting his brow. The man had a sign of the Shichibukai Doflamingo on his chest. He had only dealt once with that man, and even through that small interaction, Iceberg had quickly learned that Donquixote Doflamingo was not one to be trifled with. Had the man been sent here as a message from the Shichibukai? The mayor wrapped his coat firmer around himself and followed his group of men. It would only tell in time. For now, he would have to wait.

 **xxx**

Iceberg sat on his windowsill, watching the young man's still form. He had gotten one of his doctors to bandage the stranger, making sure to get another look at the tattoo. It was no doubt, the mark of the pirate warlord.

A slight rustling caught the mayor's attention and he looked up slowly to see the man struggling to sit up.

"Where am I?" he croaked.

"This is Water Seven," Iceberg replied, not moving from his post. "If I may ask, what are you doing here?"

"Iceberg," the man said, startling the mayor. "You're Iceberg?"

The mayor hesitated and then nodded against his better judgment. "You're right. What do you want with me?"

The man stared at him for a moment, and Iceberg took the opportunity to go ahead and ask what had been burning on his mind all that time. "You have the mark of the Joker."

"Joker?" the man questioned, and then looked down at his bandaged chest. "Oh, you're talking about this. This is not the sign of the Doflamingo Family."

Iceberg narrowed his eyes. "But the smiley face-"

"Resembles his. But look closer," the man said, pulling aside his dressings. "Doflamingo has his smile crossed out. I do not."

As Iceberg leaned in and sat on the edge of the man's bed, he saw that the he was right. The smiley was not crossed out and the teeth were straight, rather than curved. "Then what is that?"

"An ulterior motive different than the Joker's," the man said, replacing his bandages.

"So there is no doubt that you have some sort of past with him," Iceberg said, stroking his chin.

"Yes," the man answered. "But I had no choice. You can't hold it against me. I ran from him to destroy him."

Iceberg's eyes narrowed. "Destroy? You seek to destroy the strongest Shichibukai on these waters that is protected by the World Government?"

"Pluton."

The man said these words and Iceberg's hand flew to the pistol that sat on his hip. Pluton was something that was an unspoken thing in his mind. Something to be avoided and never to be spoken of again. It was a hidden weapon that should never be brought to humanity again.

"What do you know of Pluton?" Iceberg asked him harshly. "What are you?"

"My name is Lynch Cassanova," the man started slowly. "I apologize, I didn't mean to startle you. Pluton is a weapon that my brother and I found in the archives of Doflamingo."

"You mean to say that Doflamingo has access to World Government information?"

"Of course he does," Cassanova sat up straighter. "Why else do you think he became a Shichibukai?"

To this, Iceberg didn't have an answer.

"You and I both know the terrors that will wreak the world if Doflamingo or the World Government get a hand on those blueprints," Cassanova continued.

"So what do you propose we do then?" Iceberg was troubled. He knew that the World Government had been after those blueprints, but to know that now Donquixote Doflamingo thristed after the weapon, it was more trouble than he needed.

"Let me stay here," the man requested.

" _What?"_ Iceberg spat in disbelief. "I hardly know you. How do you expect me to trust you?"

"With inside information on the World Government that Doffy has gotten a hold of," Cassanova said. "I feed you information on their whereabouts, everything."

Iceberg was still skeptical. Seeing this, Cassanova added to his cause.

"I am a scientist. I know that this Water Seven is a shipwright's dream. I'll help you create more products in order to bring new customers in. I can help you Iceberg. If only you will help me. You need me as much as I need you."

Iceberg swallowed hard. To know the dealings of the World Government was a tantalizing offer. But this man had unknown dealings with the Joker. He stared into Lynch's unwavering green eyes, looking for an unknown answer in them. The young man was earnest, there was no doubt in that. Something in the young man reminded Iceberg a bit of himself when he was younger. The days of his youth flooded back to him, with Tom's workers.

" _ **If you're a man, do it with a DON!"**_ _the hearty voice of Tom-san suddenly reverberated in his mind._

Iceberg blinked. Tom-san was right. If he didn't give this man a chance, there was no way to see what could've been. And if he was going with the theme of trusting his gut, Lynch Cassanova did not seem like the kind of man that was out looking for his neck. He gave the young man another look. The mayor didn't fully trust him, he decided. Cassanova's real intentions were still shrouded behind the curtain of the weapon Pluton and it's worth to Doflamingo and the young man. He had figured that Cassanova had researched the weapon because he realized it's worth to the Shichibukai and understood it's potential to be able to overthrow the powerful black-market overlord. No doubt he was going to try and take advantage of Iceberg to get the blueprints. But it was worth giving him a chance. There was no way that Cassanova would be able to get his hands on those blueprints.

"I understand," Iceberg finally spoke. "I'll let you work here as my second assistant under Kalifa."

Cassanova leaned forward as far as his bandages would allow him. "Thank you so much Iceberg-san."

Iceberg moved towards the door and gave the young man a look over his shoulder before he left.

"Remember one thing Lynch Cassanova," he said.

"Yes?"

"Never show that tattoo to anyone who you don't trust," Iceberg moved out of the doorway. "And don't trust anyone here. Especially me."

 _ **2 years later...**_

Although Cassanova had found the group of shipwrights that Iceberg had hired to be a bit strange and odd, by his second year with the group, he had managed to find a place of his own for himself. Iceberg had been kind enough to let him stay for an indefinite amount of time. He wore an unbuttoned black suit jacket and a tight fitting gray shirt underneath, with the mark of the Galley La company printed underneath it.

He sat at his workshop, looking up every so often to watch the fight between the Dock One workers and a band of pirates who thought they could take on the shipwrights on. This had happened often, where pirates came to take a free ship. The Galley-La did not discriminate who they sold their ships to, but every so often, a pirate crew thought it upon themselves to threaten the shipwrights at blade point and demand a ship. This did not bode well for the pirates. A crowd would often gather, and the pirates would be made the laughing stock of Water Seven. Cassanova rarely participated in these activities. The last substantial thing that Iceberg had left with him had been the warning not to trust anyone there, and he followed the mayor's warning closely. Not wanting to reveal his full potential and ability, he sat back in the shadows, allowing the other shipwrights to show off.

He held the mayor in high respect. The man acted very differently in the public eye than he had when they had first met -he was more of a lazy, happy-go-lucky mayor who acted as though he didn't want to be there. Cassanova knew the truth. The man behind the façade was calculating and intelligent. Very different than the man that appeared in his countenance.

Although he did feel a sense of guilt. He had not told Iceberg the real reason he was here, only a partial truth. A memory of himself and his brother resurfaced in his mind.

 _"I'll see you in hell," a man with faint shadows under his eyes smiled. He slipped his fuzzy, white Northern style hat onto his head, and turned quickly. ""You know what you have to do at Water Seven, don't you Cassanova?_

 _A handsome young man with short, silver hair nodded quickly. "Without the great weapon, we can't overpower Doflamingo."_

 _The white hat nodded, and the man turned to his yellow submarine raising a hand in goodbye._

 _Cassanova opened his mout, "Law! Promise me this!"_

 _Law stopped, one foot on the sub, the other on the dock. "What, Cassanova?"_

 _"Promise me that we'll both come back stronger and meet again someday!" Cassanova said. "Just promise me that!"_

 _"Of course," Law scoffed, but there was a trace of a smile on his face. "Sabaody Archipelago."_

 _"What?" Cassanova asked._

 _"That's where we'll meet next," Law said. "So long, little brother."_

Cassanova brushed a strand of hair away from his face and added a drop of liquid nitrogen to the wood, watching it spread across like fog and eat away at the timber. The crowd had started to die down. The shipwrights had finished their show.

"Oi, Cass," a friendly laugh sounded from behind him and he turned to see a tall, long-nosed shipwright.

"Kaku," he smiled.

Kaku had been one of the first to welcome him in with open arms. Although he was a young man, he had a strange tendency to talk the way older men did. Cassanova didn't mind. He liked the younger shipwright and had become fast friends with him. Out of all the shipwrights that Iceberg had on Dock One, to Cassanova, Kaku seemed the most down to earth.

A long arm was draped over his shoulder as the shipwright smiled. "Why don't you ever join in our fun?"

Cassanova laughed lightly. "That's not my typical idea of fun."

"Oh come on," Kaku pouted. "Don't you want to show off a little? I know you can't be weak if Iceberg-san hired you." The man drew closer, a dangerous grin on his face. "Or maybe you have a hidden Devil Fruit power?"

Cassanova pushed the young shipwright away. "Don't be stupid. I'm just Iceberg's assistant promoted to mad scientist."

"Well you got that right," Kaku scratched the back of his head under his hat. "Eh?"

Cassanova looked up as Kaku stopped talking and glanced in the direction he was. There was a young teen in a straw hat looking to climb over the barricade that was placed to separate civilians from the workers -it was a safety precaution.

"Excuse me!" the boy was yelling.

"I'll go see what they want," Kaku said as he jogged away and pushed the kid's head down.

Cassanova took his reading glasses off and squinted at the straw hat wearing teen. He looked vaguely familiar, as if he'd seen him on a wanted poster before.

"Wait," he muttered, rifling through the papers on his desk. "Is that, _Mugiwara no Luffy?"_

The poster of a smiling teen waving at the camera appeared from under his blueprints and logistics papers. It read 'Wanted: Monkey D. Luffy. Dead or Alive for 100,000,000 Belis.' He looked back in surprise as he watched Kaku fly off in the distance, most likely looking for the crew's ship.

What was a well-known super rookie like Mugiwara doing here? Never mind that. The most prominent member of the Straw Hat's crew was _her._ Cassanova pulled another wanted poster from under Monkey D. Luffy's.

Nico Robin. Poster not yet updated from since she was child. He had done he research into Doflamingo's archives and knew what she was on the run from. Her ability to read Poneglyphs had gotten her the price so high from the age of eight. Cassanova grinned slightly. This was just his lucky day. The secret to Pluton was held in the puzzle of the Poneglyphs. Nico Robin was the only one in the world who could read those intricate carvings. He needed to speak with her. The scientist stood up and pushed his tools away as he saw Iceberg appear in front him.

"Nma," he started, with his usual verbal tic. "Is everything going well?"

"It's fine here," Cassanova replied, and glanced over at Mugiwara and his crew members. "So the Straw Hat crew finally made it here, huh?"

"It appears so," Iceberg said, musing as he watched them from a distance. "Nico Robin is on their ship."

"I know," Cassanova replied.

"You know what you have to do," Iceberg said. "Make sure to protect Pluton from her at all costs."

"I got it, Ossan," Cassanova smirked and stopped short when the straw hat wearing teen approached them.

"Hey, Ossan, everyone says you're a really good shipwright," Mugiwara said as he patted Iceberg on the shoulder. "Want to become a pirate with us?"

Cassanova turned as he heard the angry whispers of Paulie and Kalifa.

"Wh-What did you say?!" Paulie said.

"Ill-mannered brat!" Kalifa hissed.

"Nma," Iceberg said, seeming unperturbed by Luffy's offer. "You don't have a carpenter on your ship?"

"Nope," the teen said nonchalantly. "We came here to repair our ship and find a carpenter to be part of our crew."

"There are plenty of carpenters here," Cassanova said, approaching the young super rookie. "But I don't know if one is willing to become a pirate."

"If you do find one who is willing, I don't care if you take him with you," Iceberg added.

"Really? You're so nice!" Luffy laughed. "But you can't come Ossan?"

"Nma. I'm the mayor so of course not."

"Oh well then," Mugiwara said and then turned to Cassanova. "What about you?"

"I'm not a carpenter," Cassanova said, raising his hands. "I'm just a researcher. A scientist."

"Oooh a scientist!" Luffy said excitedly. "Can you make big explosions with your experiments?"

"In a way," Cassanova chuckled. "By the way, there is a woman named Nico Robin on your ship, right?"

"Yeah," Luffy replied. "She's smart!"

Cassanova gave Iceberg a quick look and opened his mouth to ask another question but was cut off by an orange haired teenage girl.

"Luffy! Get down here!" she called.

Luffy leapt down from the scaffolding to the main dirt ground where Kaku was now standing, with Paulie sitting on a piece of timber, smoking his cigar. Cassanova followed, as Kalifa trailed slightly behind them.

"Where's Usopp?" the girl asked Mugiwara.

"Dunno."

"Oh. He left the money here so never mind."

"How much will it cost?" Luffy turned a grinning face towards Kaku and patted his suitcases. "I have tons of money to pay! If you can, make it super strong and then add some cannons and make it go faster!"

"Please also do some decorative remodeling on the exterior," the girl added. "And some remodeling for the rooms too."

"Allow me to speak frankly," Kaku started. "Your ship suffered significant damage. Your trip to here must've been very eventful."

"It sure was!" Luffy grinned. "We climbed a mountain and went into the sky! That's why we want to make sure you repair our ship good!"

"Will it take a long time?" the girl asked.

Kaku paused. "No. The truth is, even we aren't able to fix your ship."

"Even if we patch it up as much as we can, the probability of you making it to the next island is zero percent," Kaku finished.

"What?!" Luffy exclaimed. "But we had been sailing perfectly all this time!"

"Is something wrong with the keel?" Paulie asked.

"Yes," Kaku replied. "It is severely damaged."

This took Cassanova by surprise. He had assumed that perhaps the Straw Hat crew were going to be stuck here for a few days, but to be stranded here for at least a few weeks now that they needed a new ship? This was a prime opportunity for him to get to know Nico Robin a little better, and to move his long-postponed plan with his brother, Law, along the way that it was always supposed to go. He felt the eyes of Iceberg staring at him, and he returned the mayor's gaze. Giving Iceberg a quick nod, the young, silver-haired man excused himself and strode off into the city of Water Seven, intent on finding Nico Robin.


	2. An Intriguing Woman

_**A/N:**_ _Hi guys. I'm behind again on fanfictioneering -work is a kick in the ass and as much as I'd like to sit down and write when I get home, I end up watching tv and not wanting to do anything. So here we finally are. I apologize for not updating as much as should._

 _If you'd like to follow a fic I find myself updating more frequently, go and follow Fire and Steel, which is currently in Alabasta and features more exposure from the Whitebeard Pirates._

 **II**

 **An Intriguing Woman**

Cassanova was perched on the top of a rooftop, quietly watching the tall, black leather clad woman stride the streets of Water Seven in a somewhat urgent manner. Just moments ago, he had spotted her following a tall, large man in a Venetian mask, wearing a long, billowing robe to, essentially, cover his identity. They had disappeared into a dark corner for several moments until she had popped out back in the open once more. The man was someone Cassanova would have to keep in mind. With all the rumors and ambiguity swirling about Nico Robin and her past, the man would be someone he wouldn't want to forget.

She crossed in front of the building where he was stationed. It was time to make his entrance.

Hopping freely down from the rooftop, he landed gracefully in front of the female pirate, give a small nod as he did so. She looked surprised momentarily but did an excellent job of covering her reaction. He was taller than almost all the women he knew, but Nico Robin was close second to him. His eyes were barely a few inches above hers. She looked nothing like her wanted poster, but that should've been a given. Nico Robin had grown into a beautiful woman, and the young man noticed this, a look of genuine surprise on his face.

"Excuse me," Cassanova grinned in spite of himself. "You're Nico Robin, aren't you?"

There was a small spark of alarm in her eyes and she hesitated. "May I know who I am speaking to?"

"I'm not a marine, if you're worried," he said, noticing her relax at this ever so slightly. "I've just read a lot about you."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Poneglyphs," he said. "You can read them, can't you?"

At this, she began walking past him at a fast pace, wishing to break the distance between him and her as fast as possible.

"I merely wish to understand the true history," she spat, whirling around in her contained, yet fiery anger. "I wouldn't expect people like you to understand."

"I don't want to unleash it," he said, speaking in her direction. She stopped, curiosity getting the best of her. "I only want to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands."

Nico Robin turned, surprised at the words coming out from his mouth. "You want to protect it?"

"I want to destroy it," Cassanova said, lying through his teeth. It was partial truth, he shrugged off. If something went wrong, that was when he'd destroy it. But the weapon was too powerful to let go. He needed it. Law needed it. They needed it to end Doflamingo. Neither of them was powerful enough to stop the Warlord from wreaking havoc, and Pluton was the key to ending it once and for all.

"Destroy it?" the woman looked suspicious. "All men want power. I cannot possibly believe that lie."

He smiled. "You'll only have to believe me."

She gave him a long look.

"Your crew is going to be here for some time," he said, brushing a piece of lint off his shoulder. "Your ship is irreparable, and the shipwrights must build you a new one. I suggest that during that time of repair, you and I get to know each other better. I think we both have valuable information that the other wants."

"What could you have that I would want?"

He moved to leave, brushing past her, shoulder barely touching hers. "Wano Kuni. Kozuki-ke. Road Poneglyphs."

Her hair whipped around as she stared after the man. "What was that?"

He raised his arm in farewell. "You heard me. If you want to talk, I'll be here at the Galley-La Company. I look forward to seeing you there."

 **xxx**

"You talked to Nico Robin?!" the mayor exclaimed. "What did she say?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary," Cassanova brushed a silver lock out of his eyes. "It wasn't anything I didn't expect."

"What did she say?" Iceberg rubbed his temples. It was getting dark, and something that he had had at dinner did not agree with his stomach. "You're always so ambiguous."

"I'm just allowing for the element of surprise," the younger man said, leaning forward. "She's an intriguing woman."

"An intriguing woman," Iceberg repeated, absentmindedly petting his white mouse Tyrannosaurus, which sat in his pocket. "That's given, I guess. She's been running her whole life because of the knowledge she has. Did she say anything about Pluton?"

"No. I don't think she's the type to use that weapon. I believe she just wants to understand knowledge." Cassanova absentmindedly picked at a hangnail on his forefinger, still engrossed in his thoughts of the older woman. "I'm interested in her."

"Wahahaha," Iceberg laughed. "Ahahaha!"

"What's so funny?" Cassanova asked, taken aback.

"You've never really taken an interest in anything before," the mayor rested his hands behind his head. "It's nice to see you finally invested in something."

The younger man chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. "I guess so. It's just that she's the key to everything. We're so close-"

Iceberg's face grew stern. "When you say we're close, you don't mean that we're close to unleashing it, do you? I thought you said you would help keep it out of the wrong hands."

"Y-Yes," Cassanova swallowed. "That's what I mean. I mean as in we're close to finally keeping it away from people who will use it for evil."

"Nmah," Iceberg said, shuffling his papers on his desk and not thinking much about the man's odd reaction. "That is, if she can be used to read the blueprints. Which will never be found."

 _The blueprints…!_ Cassanova thought. He still hadn't found out a way to get his hands on those things. In all his two years here, there had been no hint whatsoever of the blueprints he knew Iceberg to be holding. His nails dug into the palms of his hands. He was this close! He would prove to Law that he was capable. He would prove to Law, to Cora-san, to the world, that they were a force to be reckoned with. They would make Doflamingo shake in his feathered coat.

"Kid." The mayor's voice shook him out of his thoughts.

"Sorry," Cassanova smiled sheepishly. "I got caught up in my thoughts."

"Get some rest," Iceberg said. "It's going to be a long day tomorrow. We need to find out all we can from Nico Robin. Her motives, her will and her beliefs. She cannot awaken the great weapon. She must be stopped at all costs."

"Of course, Iceberg-san," Cassanova bowed himself out of the room and shut it softly behind him.

He sighed. This was going to take a lot more work than he thought.

 **xxx**

Cassanova tossed and turned in his bed, bare chest gleaming with sweat. For hours on end, the young man had drifted in and out of sleep, barely getting enough shut eye for the next day. Something was bothering him. His mind could not rest. All he could think about was that tall, beautiful, dark-haired woman. Her tall figure eluded his dreams, slipping in and out of his consciousness.

" _Show me! Show me the secret of Pluton!" he begged her._

" _I can't help you." The woman raised a pistol to his chest. "Good bye."_

" _Oi! Nico Robin!"_

 _ **BANG!**_

Cassanova fell off his bed, hitting the floor face first. He scrambled to his feet, massaging his chest, still feeling the aftereffects of the dream. He sighed and brushed himself off. That gunshot had sounded awfully realistic. Although no bullet had pierced him, and there seemed to be no intruders, he still felt a slight bristle on the back of his neck. Cassanova leaned his head out the entryway to his bedroom. He had learned by now, not to mistrust his own instincts.

He tread lightly down the hardwood hallway, the cold planks of wood soothing to his hot feet. The moonlight was bright tonight. The man noticed it peering through the cracks of the glass window, shining with some sort of childlike glee. The moon must be a show off, he thought.

A slight creak in the wood, not coming from under his own footsteps made him pause. The mayor's room was just a few paces away from him, and it was most likely that the sound was Iceberg, still hard at work, but it made his hair stand on end. Cassanova tried his best to make no sound as he moved closer to the door, finding the best possible ways to place his feet on the slabs of wood.

Finally reaching the ornately carved door, he pressed his hand to the cold handle and quietly opened the door. Making sure not to disturb Iceberg, he craned his neck through the door, taking care not to scare the mayor, when he saw Iceberg himself, lying face down on the floor in his own blood.

A yell tore from Casanova's throat as he stumbled backwards, shocked. Who would do such a thing? The mayor of Water Seven, who was loved by all the people, shot in his own home? Cassanova couldn't believe it. Trying to regain his composure, he crawled towards the man, rolling his limp body over and propping him up. There was no doubt about it, this was Iceberg's own blood.

"Iceberg-san?" Cassanova croaked. The man's eyes were closed but there was no way he could be dead -right?

"Cassanova," groaned Iceberg. This took the young man back. The mayor had almost never used his name, only opting to call him "kid" or "brat". "Get Kalifa. Now."

"Hai!" Cassanova gently set Iceberg back down on the floor and rushed down the hall, out the door to the secretary's house, not far from there.

He had never cared for this man, as he was only a tool in himself and Law's plan, yet inexplicable worry filled his chest. Had he grown to care for the mayor? The closest thing to a father figure that he had? He shut his eyes tight as he ran, shaking the troublesome thoughts from his mind as he pounded his fist on Kalifa's door.

"Kalifa, wake up!" he roared, pounding away at the door like an animal. "Kalifa! Wake! Up!"

An irritated, but slightly less uptight Kalifa appeared at the door, her hair loosely falling around her face instead of it's closely drawn back bun, and a light pink robe wrapped tightly around her body. Her face was flushed as she saw the young man looking rather surprised at her appearance and snapped at him.

"What do you want, Cassanova?"

"Iceberg-san!" he started urgently, and Kalifa's face changed.

"Did something happen to Iceberg-san?" she asked intently, all business now.

"Iceberg-san's been shot in his own room!" Cassanova shouted. "He needs help, come with me quick!"

 **xxx**

The next day was a blur. Cassanova sat in the lobby alone as he heard the roar of the press and the public outside of Iceberg's house. In his hand was the receiver of a Den Den Mushi. There was a grim look on his face as he rung it once, and then twice, knowing that regardless of his tone, the man on the other side was going to panic.

"Oh, Iceberg-san!" a hearty laugh was heard across the line. "What do I owe the pleasure of talking to you this early in the morning?"

"Paulie," Cassanova said quietly. "It's me."

"Oh, Cassanova?" the shipwright's voice changed, sounding slightly embarrassed at being so happy that he thought Iceberg had called. "Do you need something?"

"Don't freak out when I tell you this, okay?" he said slowly, and then took a deep breath. "Last night, Iceberg-san was shot in shot in his house."

"ICEBERG-SAN WAS SHOT IN HIS OWN HOUSE?!" Paulie roared. "Quit messing around brat! Was he killed?! And anyways, he's not the type to create animosity against him-"

"Hey, just wait a second alright?" Cassanova cut across him. "Listen to me!"

The man on the other end grew silent and Cassanova sighed, starting up again. "I found him lying in a pool of blood. He's still in a comatose state and isn't conscious. Anyways, just get to headquarters, quick!"

Gatchan.

"Cass! Where's Paulie?" a friendly voice echoed across the lobby.

Cassanova looked up to see Kaku walking towards him in the same orange jacket he wore every day. "I just called him. He's coming."

"What a mess," Cassanova sighed and sat down. "The entire city is in a panic. Without Iceberg, it's the end of the Galley-La Company, and Water Seven to boot."

Kaku nodded. "The reporters are causing a ruckus right outside headquarter doors."

"Even though we're the ones who want to know what the hell is going on," Cassanova muttered.

"It looks like there was a struggle inside, but no evidence of any valuables stolen," Lulu said, walking towards the two of them, rubbing at the always pointed part in his hair. "They're just finishing up forensics now."

"If it wasn't a robbery, then why would anyone want to do this to Iceberg-san?" Kaku wondered aloud.

"The forensics team said that there was no evidence the locks to the office had been open from the outside," Lulu said. "So you're off the hook Cassanova."

"I told you, the door was already open from the inside when I found him!" the young man burst.

"I know, I know," Lulu patted his shoulder to get him to sit back down. "They just don't want to take all precautions."

"So the incident occurred in a room that no one could have entered," Kaku mused.

Lulu nodded. "The only clue they found was an ordinary mask you could find anywhere."

"Mask?" Cassanova said.

The mask had struck a memory earlier last evening. There was a masked man following Nico Robin as he had watched her from above. Could she have done it? He scratched his brow as he recalled his conversation with her.

" _I don't want to unleash it," he said, speaking in her direction. She stopped, curiosity getting the best of her. "I only want to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands."_

 _Nico Robin turned, surprised at the words coming out from his mouth. "You want to protect it?"_

" _I want to destroy it," Cassanova said._

" _Destroy it?" the woman looked suspicious. "All men want power. I cannot possibly believe that lie."_

 _He smiled. "You'll only have to believe me."_

From the looks of her reaction, he had to believe that she didn't want the power that Pluton possessed. And knowing how twisted the World Government could make things sound, he doubted even more that she was the real culprit behind the entire thing. It was too easy.

Cassanova leaned forward, rubbing his tired eyes. "I wouldn't be surprised if this was the government's doing."

"Cassanova!" Kaku said, surprised. "What are you saying?"

"Corgi," he said, recalling the image of a heavyset man with blond hair, sideburns and mustache. He was a regular visitor to Water Seven, and, as Iceberg had confided in Cassanova later, vying for the blueprints to Pluton. "Every time he comes, he talks to Iceberg-san, gets rejected, and then leaves in a huff." The man shifted. "I don't know what they talk about, but the government could've done this in retaliation."

"You should watch what you say about the government, Cass," Kaku warned. "If anyone hears you, it won't be taken lightly."

"That's what this is all about," Cassanova muttered. "They don't let things go."

Heavy bootsteps echoed into the hallway and the three of them looked up to Paulie stalking into headquarters with a scary look on his face.

"Lighten up Paulie," Lulu said, patting the other shipwright on the shoulder. "Iceberg-san isn't going to die."

"You say that now," he growled, chewing on his cigars.

"We have to think positively," Kaku smiled. "If we don't we'll lose hope."

Another pair of footsteps, heels from the sound of it, walked into the lobby once more.

"Kalifa," Paulie said.

"Please, come in quietly," the secretary said, her hands resting on her glasses.

Paulie's face changed immediately from a grim scowl to overjoyed happiness. "That means-!"

"Iceberg-san has just regained consciousness," Kalifa said, eyes still red from crying.

"That's great news!" the three men cheered, all smiles now.

Kaku stood up, grinning from ear to ear. "That's really great news!"

 **xxx**

"Iceberg-san!" Paulie said joyfully, sitting on the chair closest to the mayor.

"Nmah. Sorry for worrying you all."

Cassanova stood off to the side slightly, behind Kaku and Lulu, trying not to show his relief at the mayor being well. He wasn't a man of many words, and Iceberg and he had not exchanged terms of endearment ever. Cassanova did not want the man to read his emotions. Despite being allies, it was still a dangerous game the young man was playing, and he'd played it well for two years. The need to fill the gap in his life didn't need to come into play now. And it couldn't be Iceberg to be the one to fill it. His nails dug into his palms. Iceberg had been like a father to him. Of course he was overjoyed when he heard the news that the mayor was alright. He just didn't need Iceberg to know that he was developing feelings of endearment towards the older man.

However awake he was, Iceberg looked pale. His face was more gaunt than usual and his lips a pale purple. A band aide was wrapped around his head and neck, an iv-drip connected to his wrist and he was tucked in well into his bed sheets.

"I'm just glad you're alive!" Paulie smiled. "Take some time off to rest! The rest of us will keep the shipyard going!"

"There's something else," Iceberg said weakly, turning his head to look at Cassanova. "It's about last night's intruder."

"Oh, we're still investigating that," Paulie said, with a hint of disappointment that he couldn't fulfill Iceberg's wishes to know who the perpetrators were.

"No, I remember."

Everyone in the room blinked in surprise.

"There were two of them," Iceberg continued. "One was a large man wearing a mask. The other; a tall, raven-haired woman."

 _A tall, large man in a simple, Venetian mask lead the way, cloak billowing out, exposing his sheer size. Behind him, following him was-_

Cassanova drew a breath sharply in shock.

"There can be no mistake," the mayor's eyes bore into Cassanova like hot coals. "Those black eyes."

"Nico Robin," the name slipped from Cassanova's mouth like a stone falling into a well.

There was no way. Sweat dripped from his brow as he scrambled his brain for even a semblance of her insinuating she wished to get a hold of the blueprints.

" _I merely wish to understand the true history. I wouldn't expect people like you to understand."_

Nico Robin did not have any interest in the great weapon Pluton. He knew that. Then why-?

Iceberg seemed to be asking him the same question, as his eyes still drilled holes into Cassanova's skull. The mayor didn't trust him now. He was sure of it. Because of the unreadable actions of Nico Robin, Iceberg most likely decided that the young man hadn't told him the entire story, or lied, about his encounter with the woman. His plans, his two years were wasted. Cassanova would return to Law, empty handed.

"She's part of the Straw Hat crew," Cassanova said hoarsely, trying to compensate for Iceberg's stare.

"The Straw Hat crew?" Paulie asked. "Is that true?"

"Yes," Kalifa said, adjusting her glasses. "My research confirms it. I asked Lucci to confirm with the government just now."

" _Hurrruhoo_!" the pigeon on Lucci's shoulder crowed. "Yes. After contacting the government, they confirmed that she is part of the Straw Hat crew _hurrruhoo_!"

"So they're responsible then, the Straw Hats," Kaku said, folding his arms.

Lulu ground his teeth. "What are they thinking?! Is this their revenge for telling them their ship can't be repaired?"

"We can't know for sure," Kaku countered. "Whatever their motive is, there's no doubt of their guilt-"

"We'll find that out after we bring them in," Paulie cut him off, voice laced with anger. "I don't know what they'll have to say for themselves, but I'll make sure Mugiwara gets what's coming to him!"

"WUUUOOOOHHHHHHH!" an unmistakable yell shook Iceberg's bedroom, and the largest shipwright, Tilestone, came running into the room. "We've got trouble!"

"Your voice is too loud, Tilestone!" the shipwrights yelled back.

"You rude imbeciles!" Kalifa shouted. "Everyone quiet down!"

"WUOH! ICEBERG-SAN! I'M GLAD YOU'RE AWAKE!" Tilestone still shouted.

Paulie, finally getting fed up with the entire thing, swung his fist back and whacked Tilestone right in the middle of his eyes, making him fly out the double doors.

"You're always so damn loud," Paulie said. "It'll worsen his condition!"

"WUUOOHH! YOU'RE RIGHT! SORRY!" Tilestone apologized in the same tone. "OH RIGHT! WHAT I CAME HERE FOR! THERE'S TROUBLE! YOU NEED TO HEAR THIS!"

"Stay out of the room and talk!" Paulie ordered. "You can tell me from there."

"THAT PIRATE WITH THE STRAW HAT FROM YESTERDAY IS FIGHTING WITH FRANKY AT THE NUMBER ONE DOCK AS WE SPEAK! THE WHOLE SHIPYARD IS IN CHAOS!"

"Mugiwara," the pigeon clucked in disapproval. "Iceberg-san!"

Before Iceberg could say any orders, Pailie spoke first.

"That bastard," he growled. "How dare he act so shamelessly!"

Running forward he was followed by Kaku and Lulu, three of whom were followed by Tilestone, scrambling to his shipwrights dashed out of Iceberg's bedroom one by one, the last being Lucci to leave.

" _Hurrruhoo!_ Cass, you aren't coming to dole out some justice?" the pigeon, Lucci, asked.

"No," he replied, wiping the perspiration off his brow. "I'd rather stay behind and check in with Iceberg-san."

"It's up to you, _hurrrohoo!"_ Lucci nodded to Cassanova and left the room.

He watched grimly as the shipwrights ran from Iceberg's room to the No. 1 Dock, regret in his eyes. He turned back to Iceberg, who was staring up into the ceiling, mouth in a thin grimace of pain. Cassanova slumped down onto a chair, putting his face in his hands. He couldn't help but think that they were all making a very hasty, very grave mistake.

* * *

 **Replies to Reviews:**

 _ **Vergil Leonidas:**_

 _I guess we could say three new crewmates -you forgot to add Franky. I'm glad you enjoyed the bit about Pluton. I finally wanted to have a protagonist who is smarter and more adept at things, rather than one who is learning along the journey with Luffy. Of course, Cassanova will learn and get stronger, but he will start out with much more information than the rest of them because of the things he's gone through with Doffy._

 _ **C: Well, I finally have a debut fitting for me. Much better than that Dalzeel kid. He was just floating on the ocean-**_

 _That's how you were too. You were a washed-up dog._

 _ **C: I've got too much class to be a washed-up dog, Author-san.**_

 _ **Sarge1130:**_

 _I'm glad you're liking this new edition of the story. I like it too. Can't wait for that Saboady reaction I see._

 _ **C: We're actually going to get to Saboady? Wherever that is?**_

 _Shoo. Avoid those spoilers you idiot. Don't you want to be surprised by your own story?_

 _ **C: I write my own story.**_

…


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